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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Updyke (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Updyke. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Updyke is located in Muskegon County.

To see how the shape of Michigan's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Muskegon County: Kent, Newaygo, Oceana & Ottawa.

Below are the counties that are near Updyke. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Updyke:

  • Muskegon County     (The home county of Updyke)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Updyke, with the one closest to Updyke listed first.
    • Sullivan
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Sullivan is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
    • Wolf Lake
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Wolf Lake is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Lake
    • Fruitport
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Morgan Corners
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Morgan Corners is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan Corners
    • Muskegon
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Muskegon Heights
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Norton Shores
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Ravenna
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Roosevelt Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • North Muskegon
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Slocum
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Slocum is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slocum
    • Dalton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Dalton is located in Muskegon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton
  • Allegan County
    • Graafschap
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Graafschap is located in Allegan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graafschap
  • Kent County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Updyke, with the one closest to Updyke listed first.
    • Casnovia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Lisbon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Lisbon is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
    • Kent City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Sparta
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Kinney
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Kinney is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinney
    • Walker
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Comstock Park
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Grandville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Belmont
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Grand Rapids
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Beverly
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Beverly is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly
    • Burlingame Heights
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Burlingame Heights is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlingame Heights
  • Newaygo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Updyke, with the one closest to Updyke listed first.
    • Bridgeton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Bridgeton is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeton
    • Sitka
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Sitka is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sitka
    • Brookside
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Brookside is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookside
    • Ashland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Ashland is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
    • Reeman
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Reeman is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeman
    • Grant
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Bishop
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Bishop is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Fremont
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Fremont is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fremont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,102 people
      • Former name for Fremont:
      • Fremont Center
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fremont <1>
    • Sun
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Sun is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun
    • Newaygo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Wooster
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Wooster is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wooster
    • Aetna
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Aetna is located in Newaygo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aetna
  • Oceana County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Updyke, with the one closest to Updyke listed first.
    • Rothbury
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Hesperia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Ferry
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Ferry is located in Oceana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferry
    • New Era
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Camp Claybanks ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Camp Claybanks is located in Oceana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Claybanks
  • Ottawa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Updyke, with the one closest to Updyke listed first.
    • Nunica
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Ferrysburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Spring Lake
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Grand Haven
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Conklin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Coopersville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Robinson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Robinson is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinson
    • Eastmanville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Eastmanville is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastmanville
    • Wright
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Wright is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wright
    • Agnew
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Agnew is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Agnew
    • Lamont
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Lamont is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamont
    • Allendale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Updyke, see our County-by-County Page for Updyke.

Cemeteries Near Updyke ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Updyke.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Updyke - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Updyke covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Updyke, with the one closest to Updyke listed first.

  • Sullivan Twp. Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Egelston Twp. Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Fruitport Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Shady Rest Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Sunrise Memorial Gardens
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Moorland Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Forest Home Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Restlawn Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Restlawn Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Restlawn Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Muskegon.
    • The Restlawn Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Greenwood Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1461 <2>
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Mona View Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Norton Shores Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Nunica Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (197 more) ...
    • Evergreen Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • St. Marys Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Spring Lake Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>

While we didn't find Updyke in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Updyke.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Updyke, with the one closest to Updyke listed first.

  • Sullivan
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Sullivan is located in Muskegon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
  • Cloverville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Cloverville is located in Muskegon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverville
  • Fruitport
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Moorland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Moorland is located in Muskegon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moorland
  • Nunica
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Muskegon
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Muskegon Heights
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Ferrysburg
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Spring Lake
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Ravenna
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Dennison
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Dennison is located in Ottawa County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dennison
  • North Muskegon
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Grand Haven
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Conklin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Harrisburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Harrisburg is located in Ottawa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Updyke. See our List of 1890's Communities around Updyke.

Newspapers Published in Updyke ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 175 newspapers that have been published in the area around Updyke.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Updyke, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Updyke.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Updyke:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<3>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Updyke, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Updyke) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.